Singapore Lacks Fan Support!
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After attending the football match against China at the National Stadium, I have noticed a few factors that contribute to the lackluster performance by our Singapore spectators. What home ground advantage…..it’s all bull. The Chinese were cheering louder and in more united coordination than our typical drums and pathetic shouts of “referee kayus”. Chinese flags were being waved all around the stadium. Sadly, I feel like I am watching the match from a Chinese stadium, except that they probably have better stadiums
Problem:
Frankly, the spirit is simply not there anymore. What Kallang roarÂ….more like Kallang bore!
Now I understand why we canÂ’t even get a full stadium on such an important occasion! We lack entertainment. Notwithstanding the game itself, I mean entertainment in cheering, in celebrating sports, in rejoicing victory, in grieving defeat, in nail biting when the situation gets tight.
During the match, I actually asked myself,
“Why did I try to squeeze among the mass of people drenched in sweat and BO, to get into a stadium supported mostly by our opponents’ fans? What can make this….this….”suffering and torture” (quoted from one other spectator during the big rush to get to the ticket counter) worth our effort?”
“What kind of home advantage is this when the Chinese clearly edged us out in fan support? How can we attract more fans to cheer in unison and create a really intimidating atmosphere and possibly help support our team by being the “12th man” on the field?”
I tried to put myself in a Chinese PlayerÂ’s shoes and frankly, I donÂ’t think I will feel very intimidated. In fact, the only pressure I would feel is from trying to impress my own fansÂ…in a foreign stadium!
Regardless of the statistics on attendance, the Chinese clearly edged us out in fan support. I feel sad for our Singapore Team who probably deserved more from us fansÂ…sadder for Singapore Sports.
Singapore managed to embarrass China last night with a goalless draw. Great result, considering China is one of the favourites in our group E. But how many people will even get to know that on Thursday morning? We also managed to exact a small victory by sending off the Chinese player, Shao. He brought heartbreak to a tremendous effort from Singapore by scoring an injury time penalty against us in Tianjin.
As for the fan support, I feel disappointed, unfazed and un-entertained. $6.00 entry is not expensiveÂ…but I do feel somewhat cheated.
Possible Solution:
Invest in Cheering Squads, the “LION SPIRIT SQUAD!”
· Forget the pom pom girls who sway to rolling beats of our typical drums. They are irritatingly sluggish. We need organized cheer leaders and gymnasts, loud hailers and flags, mascots and dancers, crazy youngsters and cheerful old fans that can shout till their lungs blow out! Tumble and roll and pump up the adrenaline of our fans! Organise spirit camps to spread the word! Get the media involved. Learn new cheers, dance moves, coordinated flash cards displays, etc…
· I learnt that Singapore flags are not allowed in stadium. Ridiculous, if you ask me…when clearly, Chinese flags surrounds us. A Chinese fan taunted the locals when he flew a Chinese flag over his shoulders and proudly strolled though the Singapore mass. Our response was merely the pathetic middle finger. Rude, and clearly a lack of class, if you ask me. We should have been able to fly our own flags in unison and recited our own songs at him and prove that foreign fans, no matter how welcomed, should know their place and not be allowed to mess with us in our home ground. Antagonistic? Not really. Pride and support? Absolutely!
Design a new Mascot!
· A new mascot that can help rally the crowds!
· Poor guy at the stadium was wearing a huge furry lion head throughout the match. I was surprised he didn’t faint from heat exhaustion. Consider something that is recognizable and functional!
Invest in our own Fight Song and Chants!
· Forget the silly “Referee Kayu” remarks…They can be reserved for particular situations that warrant it….but surely, whistles and “KAYUs” cannot be the staple of our cheers for our team…OUR NATIONAL TEAM!
In situations like free kicks and corners….all I hear is simply…”We want Goal! We want Goal!” (demanding and pressurizing to our own players)
Coordinate a drum beat and shout “MAKE IT COUNT! MAKE IT COUNT!”…(more positive and inspiring…wouldn’t you agree?)
Sell and market our Memorabilia!
· Tools useful for cheering should be made on sale for fans at the national stadium. Flags, towels, Cone hailers, Huge no.1 fingers. We see these at National Day Parades, let’s get them into the sports too!
Get the schools and the young involved in the development of our sporting culture.
· Students have the most fighting spirit when it comes to competitive sports. Allow an avenue for them to express that spirit through fight song, and chant composition, organized cheering squads.
· Start from Primary School up to Tertiary and develop a keen sense of loyalty to our teams!
Create a system of continuity
· Annual fan recruitment campaigns
· Discounts at selected consumer shops to attract fans. Get our local industry organized to support the fan support.
Most football fans would agree that the Korean fans have been the best in Asia through their united spirit and relentless support.
Singapore fans are no less more passionate. We simply need the framework and an environment conducive for fans to express our passion, love and support for our teams. Let us prove that Singapore can have the best fans too and create an avenue to demonstrate our fervour.
Our government always preaches unity during National Days. What better way to unite Singaporeans than through huge sports events though coordinated support. Use our world famous organizational skills and apply it to sports too!
I recall my studies at the University of Oklahoma in the US, where American College Football reigns supreme through the form of the Oklahoma Sooners. During victories, I see black people, white people, Asian, Europeans, Africans, Americans all cheering and shouting and for 1 cause, 1 teamÂ…our team. In defeat, the same diverse group seeks comfort in one another through consolation. http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=300&ATCLID=18307
Even as a foreign student there, I feel and experienced the same ups and downs together with the team. I sure hope to be able to feel the same way for my own team, Team Singapore!
With the above suggestions, I am sure that the experience of going to a local sports game, football or otherwise, will be really positive and entertaining. A definite way of increasing attendance, unite ALL Singaporeans, regardless of race, language or religion, foster team spirit and create an atmosphere conducive and attractive for athletes to want to impress the crowd, regardless of sports genre.
Maybe it will even help our athletes excel on the world stage.
Bernard Tay
WORLD CLASS FANS for WORLD CLASS ATHLETES -
i agree with you. but u think singaporeans care? i was there ytd, although many thought the atmosphere was good, the tiger cup semis against myanmar was far more superior.
$6 to most singaporeans is expensive. i had frens who commented that ask them pay $1 to watch sleague they also think is expensive. singaporeans only come when the team is winning, u shd noe tt rite?
tok abt songs, unless the organisers can make the whole event like ndp, with proper hosts, proper pa systems etc. if not, people who sing songs might jus look like idiots in the stadium.
Although I agree that insults and abuses are low class, but at least we insulted the people who insulted us initially as one isnt it? by booing at the opposiing team and fans, we can make them feel pissed off and intimidated. that is the purpose of home support. singing might not be useful on teams which are used to loud singing atmosphere.
'referee kayu', 'kelong' is something that has long existed in singapore's football history. y change when it can show the singapore-feel? we r singapore, y shd we be like others? of cus it'd be heart warmin to hear the stadium sing as one, but is that singapore? -
wow u must have the longest post here ,I think u should send this to the SCC. I agree with Hibiki that most Singaporeans(except punters) dun care much about our local soccer ever since we started S-league and our poor showing in international matches since then make the 2010 wc goal look like a joke. Now we have much better team(thx to FTs lol) ,I hope the media would give more coverage to raise more awareness and build up the fan base.
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i will only support singapore if they return to the malaysia cup tournament.
s league totally CMI. -
The council have invested heavily (accommodation, half a million reward) to foreign talent who guaranteed to bring Sg a medal.
Those that have potential and local (Sg Gym Team) but cannot secure a medal can forget about it.
So, if the council cannot even bother to push local talents, forget about investing on getting a cheer squad.
If we cannot get local, we can get PR and Foreign Talent to cheer for their adopted countries since they are also supporting some one that shared the same country of birth. -
oh u registered just to say that?
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returning to the msia cup will spark interest, yes. but returning to msia cup will not improve our football standard as the msia league is nowhere better then us.
sleague is cmi, but now, i believe the national team has improved over the years. If its the national team of the past, u think we can hold china 0-0? beat iraq 2-0? force japan to almost a draw? doubt so...unless we have a whole team of quah kim songs and fandi ahmads...i think i ot...lol...keke -
Yeah boy, he actually registered to say something we all are aware liao.
He also have the longest post i ever seen too...
If you want to blame, blame the people that created the asS League in the first place. Since the asS League started, people have been losing interested in local football... Every week dishing out poor quality stuff in a little dinky staduim with no more than 2500 spectators on average.
Gone are the days that after school or work, so many people would head for the Kallang stadium for a Malaysia Cup match. Each match could see almost 40 to 60 thousand fans. I recalled we even had to buy tickets in advance against their top sides otherwise it would be sold-out... I even came across touts near the stadium entrance... Today, $6 also i don't want to waste my time going.
Sometimes, its not just the quality of the teams... There was quality, we had Fandi, Abass, Edwards, Malak, Kadia, David Lee, Bohan, Nazri and of course our very own "Super Sub" Steven Tan but more importantly, there was a real rivalry between Singapore and Malaysian states. We could fill the Kallang stadium when they played against the likes of Selangor, Pahang or Johor... and cheer, jeer at teams with fun. But todays local football is a really sad story...
I have only been to 2 asS League matches since it started and also during the time it was still new. Since, I have not been to another for donkey years liao. Now, I would rather spend my $6 on a plate of Chicken Rice Set Meal than watch another asS League match.
Before yesterday, i didn't even know a single player in the Sg side... At least now i know one... Lional Lewis the Gk, happen to came across on espn last night. -
actually sleague match tix is $5. $1 for student.
anyways...yah rivalry is the factor...and that was why so many ppl turned up ytd. bcox the chinese so xialan. if they not so xialan, i think we will really be outnumbered. -
i didnt noe got what China Vs Singapore until i see news 0 TO 0
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i tot singapore show a lot of support le. the singapore pool lower the odds of singapore winning frm 5.40(not sure abt this but confirm more than 5.10) to 4.80.
See singapore suport using monetary terms.